March 30, 2020

Penn Medicine is rushing to open part of a new hospital tower in Philadelphia’s University City in an effort to help with the influx of COVID-19 patients.

Philadelphia Hospital Project Pushes Forward to Care For COVID-19 Patients

Penn Medicine project hopes to open 15 months early

Bruce Buckley

March 23, 2020

One Comment

A Pennsylvania hospital is rushing to open part of a new tower in an effort to help with the influx of coronavirus patients.

Special Report

Latest Updates On The Coronavirus Pandemic

Tracking developing industry impacts as COVID-19 forces closures and interrupts global business

ENR Editors

March 28, 2020

One Comment

ENR tracks new industry impacts as COVID-19 forces project closures and interrupts global business.

Webcor CEO Says New Business Practices Needed in Response to Pandemic

Safeguarding health of workers on jobsites seen as priority

Jeff Rubenstone

March 24, 2020

No Comments

Working to keep his company’s projects moving amid an unprecedented viral pandemic, Webcor Builders President and CEO Jes Pedersen says the company is learning as it goes.

In Reversal, Energy Projects Join Virus-Sidelined Construction in Pa.

Jim Parsons

March 24, 2020

No Comments

Governor now deems Mariner 2 gas pipeline "non-life-sustaining," ordering work stopped under statewide COVID-19 construction halt.

Health Care Designers Educate, Advise, Warn During COVID-19 Crisis

Nadine M. Post

March 24, 2020

No Comments

Design professionals are mobilizing to provide advice and guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care facility practitioners are also warning officials that haste in creating temporary treatment centers can create unintended negative consequences.

Coronavirus and Construction

Mask Donations Rise as Industry Combs Sites to Support Healthcare Workers

Bruce Buckley

March 24, 2020

No Comments

Firms tap inventories to make PPE contributions to local hospitals and other facilities to keep COVID-19 under control.

Coronavirus and Construction

COVID-19 and Falling Oil Prices Roil Oil and Gas Sector

Construction Projects Delayed

Pam McFarland

March 23, 2020

No Comments

Lower oil prices plus lower demand, in addition to work stoppages because of the coronavirus, is leading to major uncertainty for related projects.

Construction Groups Push Back on OSHA's COVID-19 Reporting Rule

Jim Parsons

March 23, 2020

No Comments

Tracing the virus to workplace exposure for recordkeeping, as noted in March 13 agency guidance, presents a compliance challenge, firms say.

UPDATE: UK Construction Copes With Mixed Guidance on COVID-19 Lockdown

Debra K. Rubin

Peter Reina

March 22, 2020

No Comments

More British projects are closed but others proceed as govt. and industry grapple with rising COVID-19 numbers, tough directives on social distance and economic fallout; across Europe, 190,000 cases and 8,700 deaths pose key challenges.

Cloud Infrastructure Keeps Firms Afloat During Coronavirus Pandemic

But transition may be rocky for firms looking for quick solutions

Jeff Rubenstone

March 22, 2020

No Comments

Some design and engineering firms that have shifted to cloud-based IT infrastructure are finding they can maintain their workloads even as many employees are forced out of their offices due to the pandemic.

AGC Survey: 28% of Members Report Halted or Delayed Projects Due to COVID-19

Members also report supply line interruptions and shortages of workers due to self-quarantines.

Mark Shaw

March 22, 2020

No Comments

AGC announced survey findings during the first of a series of webinars designed to help members navigate the fast-changing economic landscape due to the coronavirus.

New Orleans Issues 'Stay Home' Mandate, Construction Exempt

March 20, 2020

No Comments

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a "stay home mandate" Friday afternoon, but construction was included on a list of "essential" activites.

Coronavirus and Construction

Army Corps of Engineers Launches Multistate Push To Add Hospital Capacity

Tom Ichniowski

March 20, 2020

No Comments

Corps is working with at least 13 states to convert hotels, college dorms into "ICU-like" space, its commander Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite says.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot

Safety

Stay-at-Home Orders in Five Midwest States Broadly Exempt Construction, Michigan's is More Limited

Exceptions for construction work are broadly defined in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin coronavirus orders, Michigan's is narrower

Jeff Yoders

March 20, 2020

5 Comments

Construction in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin is seen as essential infrastructure, so work continues on most sites in those states. Minnesota's order broadly exempts outdoor activities. Michigan's order includes public works construction as essential. Other states not yet ordering citizens to stay at home.

Seattle Shuts Down Major Bridge Due to Cracks

Tim Newcomb

March 23, 2020

No Comments

City is determining near-term repairs.

Oregon LNG Project Jumps One Hurdle, but Many More Remain

Pam McFarland

March 24, 2020

No Comments

The Jordan Cove LNG project has been on the drawing board for 15 years.

Involuntary Manslaughter Plea in Fatal Wildfire Case Costs Calif. Utility $4M

Mary B. Powers

March 24, 2020

No Comments

PG&E filed Camp fire pact as part of its bankruptcy restructuring, which includes new mitigation strategies for the 2020 wildfire season such as community microgrids.

City Creek's Retractable Skylight and Creek Replica Survive Temblor

Nadine M. Post

March 18, 2020

No Comments

There is no apparent damage from March 18th's magnitude 5.7 earthquake near Salt Lake City to City Creek Center's two-block-long retractable skylight or to the creek replica flowing beneath it.

Natural Disasters

Earthquake Near Salt Lake City Damages Older Buildings, Rattles Nerves

Brian Fryer

Mark Shaw

March 18, 2020

No Comments

Early morning quake causes minor damage to downtown buildings, closes the airport and cuts power to thousands in area.

Everglades Restoration

First Contract Awarded for $1.6B Everglades Project

Thomas F. Armistead

March 23, 2020

No Comments

The contractor's bid came in well below the engineer's estimate of $38.8 million.

Airport Projects

Denver Airport Negotiates Final Payment with P3 Team It Fired Last Year

Mark Shaw

March 23, 2020

Denver will pay the public-private partnership team an additional $55 million to end its work on the airport's Great Hall renovation.

Industry Workshop Focuses on Calif. Infrastructure For 2028 LA Olympics

Aileen Cho

March 23, 2020

No Comments

Global event will require smart-city technologies and billions of construction that will start during the current COVID-19 pandemic, firms said at recent conference.

CONEXPO 2020

Ten Minutes With Audrey Copeland, President and CEO of the National Asphalt Pavement Association

Aileen Cho

March 25, 2020

No Comments

Audrey Copeland, president and CEO of the National Asphalt Pavement Association, spoke with ENR’s transportation editor Aileen Cho at CONEXPO-CON/AGG earlier this month about sustainable pavements and encouraging more women to join the industry.